Orphanage chief says guardian approved child’s placement with contractor before fatal incident

MULTAN – Shoaib Hyder, head of the Khudi orphan center, told ARY News that the legal guardian of Waseem Abbas, a 15‑year‑old who died after being struck by a speeding vehicle, had given permission before the boy was sent to work with contractor Tauqeer Nazir. Hyder said the child’s paternal uncle, who acted as his guardian, asked that Waseem receive training that could help him earn a living. In response, the orphanage placed the teenager with Nazir to learn electrical work.

According to Hyder, the centre had received no complaints about Nazir, as Waseem had been with the contractor for only seven to eight days before the tragedy. He also disclosed that Khudi is not yet registered with the Child Protection & Welfare Bureau Punjab, though an application for registration has been filed and approval is expected shortly. The centre is currently registered with the Punjab Charity Commission and looks after about 150 orphans. Waseem joined the institution in 2021 together with his brother and cousin.

The boy was killed on a private housing society road in Multan after a speeding car hit him. Police have arrested the contractor, Tauqeer Nazir, seized the vehicle and opened a case. In his initial statement to investigators, Nazir claimed that Waseem was learning electrical work under his supervision, left the site without permission, and that he tried to stop the teenager by following him in his car. He said he drove behind Waseem in an effort to catch him. Police reports indicate that after a foot chase, Nazir, accompanied by another man named Amjad Ali, pursued Waseem in the car, which then struck the teenager. Waseem collided with a house gate and died at the scene.

Jawad Haider, an administrator at the orphanage, confirmed that Waseem was an orphan from Muzaffargarh who had been placed with the contractor for training. He reiterated that the investigation into the circumstances of the boy’s death is still ongoing.